For hundreds of years, people from around the world have enjoyed drinking the noblest of spirits distilled in Scotland. Many Scotch Whiskeys have a fiery temperament that can challenge the bravest palate when drinking it neat (undiluted). The most important properties used to evaluate the quality of Scotch are nose (the smell of the Scotch, mainly to do with aromatics), the palate (the physical feeling of the liquor while held in the mouth) and the finish (what sensations and flavors remain in the mouth after the Scotch is swallowed).
Ice and pure water have been and are still used to tame the fiery spirit of many Scotch Whiskeys. Although these two methods work, they both have serious consequences that connoisseurs of Scotch find objectionable. Ice has two major faults: 1) it will quickly cool the Scotch far below its optimum tasting temperature, and 2) it immediately starts to dilute the Scotch Whiskey. The extreme lowering of the temperature by ice destroys the aromatics, taking away the unique bouquet and flavor characteristics of each Scotch (p. 9 in Scotch Whiskey Top Single Malts by Doug Mclvor, 1998). Excess water, whether put in as ice or as pure water at the ambient room temperature, will affect the concentration of the aromatics (nose) and will affect the feel on the palate and change the finish. Moreover, many of the aromatics are soluble in alcohol so any weakening of the alcohol concentration could cause the oils that flavor Scotch to come out of solution and float on the top of the diluted Scotch and stick to the sides of the glass.
In addition, ordinary tap water, or ice cubes made from tap water, commonly can contain chlorine and other substances that will alter the taste of the whiskey and destroy its aromatics. In some locales, ice cubes may also contain hidden pathogens that can produce illness. Even ice cubes made with pure distilled water can still collect odors and unpleasant flavors from the plastic or metal trays used to make the ice cubes. Also, even using de-ionized and distilled water will change the taste and bouquet of the Scotch Whiskey due to the effects of dilution, and if too cold, will destroy the aromatics. Repeated tests have shown that ice water or ice cubes reduce the temperature of the drink to the freezing point, greatly reducing the complex aromas and grossly altering the taste and finish of the Scotch Whiskey.
The prior art discloses a variety of means to cool beverages using rocks or ice alternatives. All have shown limitations in terms of the possibility of contamination through melting, ingestion of small particles or leakage. For example, glass cubes have been used, but unless special care is taken, glass may contain dangerous sharp shards, which may be injurious to the digestive tract if ingested. An ice alternative as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 740,847 to Glebsattel. This patent describes that use of hermetically sealed containers made of glass, porcelain or other suitable material and containing a liquid. These containers are submitted to the freezing process and subsequently used to cool beverages. It is well known that both glass and porcelain chip or break easily. A break in the hermetically sealed container would likely result in leakage of the liquid into the beverage, thereby causing dilution and/or contamination of the beverage.